Sanding blocks are presently available in a variety of forms in an attempt to meet the needs of those who must sand various surfaces. Perhaps the most common sandpaper support is a block of wood from which one may move through myriad supports and into complex electric sanders. In virtually all of these items, the general purpose of the sanding block is three fold. First, it allows the user to apply greater pressure to the area being sanded. Secondly, it moves the users hand away from the work surface, usually by providing a handle for the user to grasp, in order to reduce the likelihood of injuries. Thirdly, when a sanding block having a flat sandpaper supporting surface is used to sand a flat surface, the block reduces points of excessive pressure by more evenly distributing the user's force over the sandpaper supporting surface. However, when non-flat surfaces need to be sanded, difficulties often arise. The standard sanding block has a relatively large, flat sandpaper support surface which does not satisfactorily meet the needs of one who is sanding an irregular surface. The use of such a sanding block on a regular surface will generally result in the user angling the block or using it in a way in which it was not intended in an attempt to conform the sanding surface to the work surface. Even with such attempts, the resultant effect is uneven sanding as generally no portion of the block will conform exactly to the area being sanded and excessive areas of pressure which will result in over sanding. Excessive pressure points can also result in the quickened wearing of the sandpaper, such that the sanding block itself may become exposed, which, depending upon the fabrication of the sanding block, may damage the work surface. Similarly, as the user angles the sanding block in order to utilize a corner or edge of the sandpaper; a portion of the block not covered by the sandpaper may scratch the work surface.
In an attempt to provide sanding blocks which are usable on irregular surfaces, a wide variety of devices have been developed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,557,496 to R. W. Martin discloses a metal strap to which a piece of sandpaper may be secured. The strap is then placed over a pipe or other circular type object so that a back and forth motion may be applied to sand the item. A circular piece of sand paper is also secured over the handles which are particularly adapted for sanding the inner edges of the pipes. Other patents disclose devices such as special sandpaper holders for louver doors, U.S. Pat. No. 3,640,031 to Descant; sanding fittings, U.S. Pat. No. 3,722,150 to Pass; abrading corners and crevices as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,465,569 issued to Bates. While such devices may be suitable for their intended uses they do not sufficiently meet the myriad surface irregularities often encountered when sanding a complex item.
A common situation where such irregular surfaces are encountered, is in the sanding of automobiles prior to repainting. The problems encountered when sanding an automobile are numerous. For example, some areas of the automobile will provide relatively smooth sloping curves as may often be found on the sides of the automobile. Other sections present small flat surfaces which need to be sanded without scratching the surrounding areas, such as the painted surfaces between tail lights and the like. Other areas present crevices which require sanding both at the bottom and sides, as may be commonly found with the small gutters at the top of the car which are used to drain off water. Complicating this matter is the fact that many of these irregular surface areas abut portions of the automobile that cannot be sanded such as, body molding, light covers, door handles and the like.
Recognizing the need for a more versatile sanding block for such applications, soft sanding blocks have been considered as a possible solution to this problem. However, support surfaces such as foam rubber and the like do not provide sufficient rigidity. Thus, upon the application of pressure sufficient to effectively perform the sanding process pressure points result, creating an unevenly sanded finish. Furthermore, such devices generally secure the sand paper to the block in such a way that only a relatively small portion of the sand paper is usable. This requires additional time and effort as the user must frequently change the sandpaper, and also adds additional cost since the sandpaper, although only partially worn, must be discarded as it no longer provides an abrasive surface when secured to the sanding block.
Thus, an individual faced with the task of sanding a variety of irregular surfaces, must either attempt to use different types of sanding blocks, many of which still will not conform to the actual intended use, or in the alternative, those experienced in this area will use their hand in order to conform and support the sandpaper to the workpiece. Attempting to enhance this latter approach are devices which either secure the sandpaper directly to the users hand or to a specialized glove. It should be easily appreciated that these latter approaches while at times effective, are not reasonable alternatives when a large area needs to be sanded or when sanding is a daily task.
With these difficulties in mind, the applicant began working on various approaches which imitated the versatility found in the human hand without actually using the hand as part of the sandpaper support. This eventually led to the development of the subject invention.